YouTuber me took a break from a busy schedule of working on commissioned tutorial videos to do a video for the new LayR app. This new synth is massive so I had to dive into it!

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Video Description:

LayR is a new app from a new developer, but it packs in an incredible amount of features. Let's layer up a big synth sound in LayR! If you enjoyed this please consider supporting this series by sponsoring them on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/discchord If you'd prefer to help on a monthly basis, instead of per video, there is a new monthly Patreon campaign: https://www.patreon.com/discchord_com

Reader Comments 11

Hmmm... I've been resisting this one since launch. Decided to wait for it to mature a bit more. Then, thought maybe I'd dive in for some weekend fun. But, to be honest... this video was fairly frustrating to watch. Nothing to do with the video, but watching the process of trying to craft a sound in this app.

Kind of made me want to re-explore Mitosynth and Grain Science instead... blending and morphing samples into new synths rather than this method.

Back on the fence for now.

The arp in this one looks interesting on paper, but no midi out yet. Might revisit this one at some later date and thanks for the video... and, saving me $20! ;)

On March 17, 2017 - @Skip Hunt said:
The arp in this one looks interesting on paper, but no midi out yet. Might revisit this one at some later date and thanks for the video... and, saving me $20! ;)

LOL, you're welcome. I can see where you're coming from. That really is the intent of this series. It isn't a review. It is just trying to capture what the workflow is like with any given app, and you can make your own judgement after you see it in action. Although ambivalence is not the goal, it does mean the video is working!

I think you gotta duplicate with links a bunch of stuff from the get go so it's nice and fat, and then jump through the different layers unlinking things and adjusting to taste for a more efficient workflow. It's definitely a different way to think about things.

LOL, you're welcome. I can see where you're coming from. That really is the intent of this series. It isn't a review. It is just trying to capture what the workflow is like with any given app, and you can make your own judgement after you see it in action. Although ambivalence is not the goal, it does mean the video is working!

I think "on paper" I want to like LayR, but in practice... well, I tried to see what I could do just layer multiple instances of Twin2 presets in Auria Pro with effects, etc. then played. Liked that I got. Then, I decided to try to craft my own synth sounds from scratch, and layered on tracks to play... in essence, similar to what you're doing here. And, I found that I didn't fare so well crafting the components from scratch.

You've got a lot more experience with apps than I do, and you've learned a multitude of various UIs over the years. If this thing is a bit frustrating for you, I figure I don't stand a chance.

Still intrigued, but from what I see in your video, sculpting new synths from layers and varying degrees of morphing, modulation, filtering, etc. is a taller order than I'd imagined.

What Tim's review makes abundantly clear, is that it is really difficult for a non synth-head to produce anything that doesn't sound like bees in an airing cupboard crossed with a doorbell factory. Those who have the required expertise will doubtless get a lot from this app, and I get its USP, but having said that I can have so much more fun, and get faster results, from the likes of Mitosynth and AniMoog.

I see a big whitespace, but otherwise nothing; '12 Mac Mini, Sierra current (10.12.3), Safari

I notice this more and more - I'm also seeing what seem to be template text overlaid on display text (right above this box, 'compose' completely overlaps "Post" in "Post a New Comment". There are other examples.

@Trilobyte: Are you blocking JavaScript? The template text you're seeing means your browser is not correctly loading the site's JavaScript. The new site uses a LOT of JavaScript, so that's just not going to work. I'm actually amazed you were able to sign-up without it.